BACKGROUND: Assistive products are items which allow older people and people with disabilities to be able to live a healthy, productive and dignified life. It has been estimated that approximately 1.5% of the world's population need a prosthesis or orthosis. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to systematically identify and review the evidence from randomized controlled trials assessing effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of prosthetic and orthotic interventions...

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has been commonly reported by foot and ankle specialists. Marjolin's ulcer is a malignancy that involves a posttraumatic scar or ulceration that can develop into SCC from chronic neuropathic pedal wounds, venous stasis, or decubitus ulcerations. Most Marjolin's ulcers are found in the lower extremity, specifically the feet, and it is twice as common in females as males. Biopsy of the tumor is the reference standard to diagnose SCC, and wide excision of SCC is the most common treatment option...

INTRODUCTION: As the majority of diabetic foot ulcerations (DFUs) occur on the plantar foot, excessive pressure is a major contributing factor to delayed healing. The gold standard for offloading is the total contact cast (TCC); yet, TCC use is contraindicated in patients with ischemia. Lower extremity ischemia typically presents in the more severe end stages of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). As PAD exists on a severity spectrum from mild to severe, designation of a clear cutoff where TCC use is an absolute contraindication would assist those who treat DFUs on a daily basis...

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become an important subject in the area of diabetes-related foot complications. Self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) surveys can provide a generic measure of overall health (global) and can be disease specific (i.e., diabetes) or even region specific (i.e., lower-extremity function). Analysis of PRO measures utilizing validated instruments allows health care providers to determine whether medical and surgical treatments are providing patients with the highest level of outcome possible and are actually improving HRQOL...

Objectives The main factor in the healing of foot ulcers in diabetic patients is adequate perfusion. There is no consensus on whether direct or indirect revascularization is more effective in leg revascularization. At the centre of that debate, there is a disagreement about whether collateral circulation is sufficient or not. Our aim is to evaluate collateral circulation activity between angiosomes in the feet of diabetic patients by evaluating the level of occlusion in leg arteries and comparing the angiosome regions that have necrosis...

BACKGROUND: Tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) fusion using a retrograde intramedullary (IM) nail is an effective salvage option for terminal-stage hindfoot problems. However, as many patients who receive TTC fusion bear unfavorable medical comorbidities, the risk of nonunion, infection and other complications increases. This study was performed to identify the factors influencing outcomes after TTC fusion using a retrograde IM nail. METHODS: Between September 2008 and February 2012, 34 consecutive patients received TTC fusion using a retrograde IM nail for limb salvage...

Diabetes mellitus is a widely spread chronic disease with growing incidence worldwide, and diabetic foot ulcer is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. Cellular therapy has shown promise in the management of diabetic foot ulcer in many preclinical experiments and clinical researches. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cellular therapy in the management of diabetic foot ulcer. We systematically searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases from inception to May 2017 for randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy of cellular therapy in diabetic foot ulcer, and a meta-analysis was conducted...

BACKGROUND: A kinetic change in thefoot like altered plantar pressure is the most common etiological risk factor for causing foot ulcers among people with diabetes mellitus. Kinematic alterations in joint angle and spatiotemporal parameters of the gait have also been frequently observed in participants with diabetes peripheral neuropathy. Diabetes peripheral neuropathy is the most common long-term standing complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus. It leads to various micro and macrovascular related complication of the foot...

BACKGROUND: In Egypt, data on the prevalence of chronic diabetic complications, which are essential for the adjustment of policies and practices related to diabetes care, are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of chronic complications of diabetes; namely neuropathy, diabetic kidney disease (DKD), retinopathy and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in newly-diagnosed versus known type 2 diabetic patients. SUBJECTS & METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study that is based on a previous household survey conducted on a representative sample of the population of Alexandria, Egypt...

BACKGROUND: Single or combined multiple-site peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) are becoming popular for patients undergoing surgery on their feet or ankles. These procedures are known to be generally safe in surgical settings compared with other forms of anesthesia, such as spinal block. The purposes of this study were to assess the incidence of complications after the administration of multiple PNBs for foot and ankle surgery and to compare the rates of complications between patients who received a single PNB and those who received multiple blocks...

Background: Infectious gangrene of the foot is a serious complication of diabetes that usually leads to a certain level of lower-extremity amputation (LEA). Nevertheless, the long-term survival and factors associated with mortality in such patients have yet to be elucidated. Methods: A total of 157 patients with type 2 diabetes who received treatment for infectious foot gangrene at a major diabetic foot center in Taiwan from 2002 to 2009 were enrolled, of whom 90 had major LEAs (above the ankle) and 67 had minor LEAs (below the ankle)...

PURPOSE: To review functional and clinical outcomes as well as complications in patients who underwent endoscopically assisted percutaneous Achilles tendon repair using 4-strand core suture configuration via a 6-portal technique. METHODS: A retrospective chart review with prospectively collected data was performed in 23 consecutive patients who underwent endoscopically assisted percutaneous Achilles tendon repair between 2008 and 2015. The minimum follow-up to be included in the study was 24 months...

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a worldwide pandemic that impacts more than 387 million people, with 29 million individuals affected in the United States alone. Diabetic patients have a 25% lifetime risk of developing a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). Having a DFU is associated with a risk of recurrence approaching 70%. In addition, 1 in 6 patients with DFU will have a lower-limb amputation, with an associated increase in mortality ranging from 47% to 70%. Therefore, limb salvage is critical in patients with DFU...

BACKGROUND: Calcaneal insufficiency avulsion (CIA) fractures often present with neuropathic etiology, such as Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN). Under the same surgical procedures, the outcomes of CIA fractures are less desirable, compared to the outcomes of the traumatic calcaneal avulsion fractures. Here, the study suggests Achilles tenodesis technique using suture anchor after resection of the CIA fracture fragments could provide satisfactory clinical results in the cases of surgically indicated CIA fractures...

In recent years, some authors have reported accessory anterolateral talar facet impingement with flatfoot including peroneal spastic flatfoot. Conversely, to our knowledge, no case report has been published about accessory anterolateral talar facet impingement with tibialis spastic varus foot. We report the first case in a 22-year-old man with intellectual disability, bilateral cleft hands and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Since spraining his left ankle over a year earlier, he experienced left sinus tarsi pain while standing and walking...

BACKGROUND: To compare the functional outcomes between patients with and without postoperative surgical-site infection (SSI) after surgical treatment in closed ankle fractures. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study with prospective follow-up. Of 1011 treated patients, 959 were eligible for inclusion in a postal survey. Functional outcomes were assessed using three self-reported questionnaires. RESULTS: In total 567 patients responded a median of 4...

INTRODUCTION: Charcot's neuroarthropathy of ankle leads to instability, destruction of the joint with significant morbidity that may require an amputation. Aim of surgical treatment is to achieve painless stable plantigrade foot through arthrodesis. Achieving surgical arthrodesis in Charcot's neuroarthropathy has a high failure rate. We assess the outcomes of retrograde intramedullary interlocked nailing in tibio-talar arthrodesis for Charcot's neuroarthropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 42 diabetic patients with a mean age of 49 year underwent ankle tibio-talar arthrodesis using retrograde nailing for Charcot's neuroarthropathy...

Surgical correction of complex foot and ankle deformities secondary to Charcot neuroarthropathy remains a significant surgical challenge. New technological advancements in hardware have allowed for the use of augmented fixation techniques in midfoot deformity correction, including the use of indication-specific locking plates and beaming techniques that offer enhanced stability. Severe hindfoot deformity management can employ the use of internal fixation, including intramedullary hindfoot nails and circular external fixation frames for limb salvage...